


Treat You Well

by wisdom_t3a



Category: One Piece
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-17 03:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9302774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wisdom_t3a/pseuds/wisdom_t3a
Summary: In which Reiju runs away with Sanji.(An AU where Reiju went with Sanji when he ran away as a child; Reiju nee-chan AU)





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reiju tries to settle in.

_Prologue_

Reiju had never joined in. She couldn't, she _wouldn't_. And so she faked her giggles to hide the horror in her eyes as her little brother was beaten black and blue by their siblings.

 

"I'm not on your side," she would say as she bandaged his cuts and spread ointment on his bruises. She didn't want those ugly marks to mar his small body that was so much more fragile than hers.

 

"I'm not on your side," she would tell him as she wiped the tears from his cheeks and gave him little candies she'd smuggled from his brothers to make him stop crying. She knew their father would just ignore his sobbing, but she didn’t want to see him like this.

 

 _I'm not on his side,_ she would think as she saw him feeding a mouse and pretended that she hadn't. She would never tell on him.

 

"I'm not on your side," she gritted through her teeth as their father made the public announcement that her little brother was dead. It wasn't true, and she knew it. But now she understood the extent of their father's shame.

 

"I'm not on your side," she didn’t say when he told her that he wanted to be a chef and her heart wanted to cheer him on. Instead she told him not to tell her about his stupid dreams. She felt very sorry when his face fell.

 

 _I'm not on his side,_ she thought as she pressed her hand over her mouth to muffle her whimpers as their father told him to never come back.

 

"I'm not on your side!" she yelled over the gunshots as she grabbed his arm and ran. She dragged him to the port to show him a cruise ship that was about to leave.

 

She knows what she has to say.

 

"Someday you will meet people who will treat you the way you deserve!" she cries as she forces him to look her in the eyes despite the fact that there are tears streaming down their faces.

 

_Someday there will be people who will cross oceans for you._

 

And as she's about to push him away and tell him to go and never look back, she realizes, _I'm not on your side, but I_ ** _do_** _want you to live. I want you_ ** _safe_** _._ So she grips his little hand tightly in hers and sprints for the dock, ducking through the fray of battling soldiers.

 

Reiju presses Sanji to her side and stands tall as she asks for work for the first time in her life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this idea when the chapter of Sanji's escape came out. It seemed like Reiju cared about Sanji more than the other Vinsmoke children did, and I wondered what Sanji's life might be like if Reiju had run away with him.
> 
> I don't really plan on deviating too much from Sanji's backstory. And the Strawhats will still pick him up in the Baratie arc. But this story will be about the lives of Sanji and Reiju until that point.


	2. What Have I Done

She hates it. Reiju hates the way they’re looking at her. _Don’t treat me like scum._ She refuses to back down as the captain of the cruise ship stares down his nose at she and her brother. Sanji is shaking like a leaf. All Reiju feels is the own steady beat of her heart. Most “lost” kids like themselves would probably be groveling. But Reiju isn’t “lost”. She knows exactly what she’s doing here.

She’s saving her little brother.

The captain lets out a noisy huff, like a steam train. Reiju watches blandly as the smoke of his pipe billows out his nose, drifting into their faces and curling around them in threads. Sanji coughs.

“We’re looking for work,” she repeats after a jilted silence. A quick pause. “…Please.”

He squints down at her. “Like you and that runt would be anything but trouble. I’ve a mind to boot you out without a second thought.” Reiju feels Sanji’s hands clench at the fabric of her dress and she tightens her hold on his shoulder. 

“We can work,” she says. She refuses to back down. “My brother can cook. I can…” Well, she can’t tell them that she can kill. _That_ wouldn’t run by well. “I can do many things. I learn fast.” That part is true, at least.

What most surprises her though, is that the captain doesn’t recognize her face. Well, all things considered, it’s not as if the Germa 66 parade the faces of their young royals all over, but still. It’s a little insulting.

The captain finally removes his pipe from his mouth. “Alright. I doubt you’ll be any good, but a couple more hands to help clean up wouldn’t hurt.” He turns to one of the nearby mastmen and waves him over. “Take the runty one below deck. Tell Rifter he’s got another kitchen boy.” 

The man nods and reaches out to grab Sanji by the arm. Reiju gently nudges her brother forward and offers him what she hopes is an encouraging smile. She’s never had to encourage someone before. Sanji keeps looking back at her like he’s being dragged to the execution block. Reiju _doesn’t_ roll her eyes.

“And you, missy. You’ve got a mood about you. I don’t like it. Come with me.” 

Reiju narrows her eyes at the captain, but follows obediently. The badge on his lapel reads ‘ _Truecy'_. 

 _Captain Truecy, eh? Pfft._  

He leads her down a series of hallways carpeted in fake velvet. Reiju almost feels her lip curl in disgust. _It’s not even close to the real thing._ Just when the tension is about to snap, Captain Truecy pushes open another door and all but shoves Reiju in. She blinks in the sudden bright light, her senses temporarily overwhelmed the the choking smell of perfume and the off-key tittering. In the seconds it takes her eyes to adjust, Reiju takes in a few things: 1) the sensation of a somewhat disgusting presence in the room, 2) the clusters of girls crowded around make-up tables and against mirrors, and 3) _they’re all staring at her like she’s lesser than them._

 _Wenches and plebes_ , she thinks unkindly. _The whole lot of them._

“Mrs. Parves, you have a new maid.”

Reiju almost spits out an, “Oh, _hell_ no!” but remember’s Sanji’s face just in time to hold her tongue. If she screws this up, he loses his chance. So she holds her breath and counts to ten as heavy footsteps make a dull staccato on the floor. 

Captain Truecy adjusts his coat and bows. “Little girl, this is Mrs. Parves. She is the head hostess of this ship and she is your superior now.” He waves his hat to her in a smug salute. “You’re her problem now.”

Mrs. Parves is a massive (and not necessarily pretty) woman. Reiju can think up at least fifteen rude comments on the spot, but again manages to reign herself back in time. Instead she stares up at the buxom figure before her, trying to maintain a passive facade. 

“Hmph!” Mrs. Parves hoots. “A maid? This ratty thing? She looks like she’s never worked a day in her life.” She’s not necessarily _wrong_ , but Reiju would still like to see how this lady would feel about her if she kicked her ass to hell and back. She grits her teeth and ducks her head. 

“Please, ma’am. I can work. I learn very fast.” 

“That’s what they all say, munchkin. I’m not fooled by your sweet little lies!” Parves flaps a gloved hand at one of the girls dressed in a hideous little maid outfit. “You there, come here.” The girl stumbles forward and Reiju immediately notices that she’s bony as a stick. 

 _No way. Do they starve their girls around here?_ She’s not sure she would like that. Granted, she doesn’t need to eat much - that’s thanks to her enhancements. She doesn’t want to _not eat,_ though.

The girl comes to a stop before the head hostess and stands there with downcast eyes and hands folded demurely at her waist. Reiju impassively watches Mrs. Parves order the girl to strip. The girl obeys without a word and doesn’t protest when the head hostess tosses the dress to the floor and stomps on it a few times. 

Reiju assumes this is some sort of demonstration to display Mrs. Parves’ influence in the place. She outright sneers when the woman turns to her to see if she’s watching. _Not a shred of dignity in any of you. Pathetic._

She doesn’t care much when her unabashed arrogance results in a slap to the face. However she absolutely despises the cowering girl’s dress which chattering young women shove her into, jeering and poking at her body. It takes every ounce of her self control not to beat them all to a pulp. She wouldn’t mind getting her knuckles stained with their blood-

Sanji’s face flashes through her mind again and Reiju goes still. It’s for her brother. It’s for her brother.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Reiju finds Sanji late that night in the little cubby hole that is designated as “their space.” Really, it’s literally just a cubby. In the wall. Made of wood. With other snoring sailors and crewmen sprawled on the floor and in hanging bunks nearby. 

The room reeks of heady alcohol and sweat. She isn’t allowed to sleep in a room with the other girls.

_She hates it._

Sanji, of course, thinks it’s fantastic and immediately snuggles down against her side as if he isn’t bothered by the smell. Reiju is incredibly hesitant to pull the moth-bitten blanket they were given over him, but gives in when Sanji starts to shiver.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Two days later and Reiju is already sick of it. 

By ‘it’, she means everything. 

By everything, she means the guests, the ship, the work, the ship, the crew, the ship, the guests, the work— she’s fucking sick of it. And she tells Sanji so as they’re preparing to go to bed.

Sanji looks up at her with wide blue eyes and shifts awkwardly. “B-But, but, Reiju,” he says, all innocence and concern. “I, um, I think…it’s way better than battle training! It’s lots more fun!” 

Reiju squints at him. A small flicker of annoyance ripples in her belly. “What the hell is wrong with you; are you stupid?” she snaps. She realizes her mistake too late when Sanji immediately flinches away from her, his hands covering his head as he huddles into a ball. Reiju freezes and stares down at her little brother. She feels sort of sorry that she made him cower.

The terror that she can see wracking his frame isn’t enough to quell her frustration, however. “Sorry,” she mumbles through her teeth. “I’m not…I don’t like it much. Like I said, it’s shitty.” 

Sanji peeks at her through his fingers and nods. “…O-Okay.” He still doesn’t move.

Reiju tilts her head back and inhales sharply. She chose this. _I chose this. I chose to go with him._ Her eyes snap open. _Wait. Why the hell did I do that, again?_ She stares hard at Sanji and another image of his smile darts through her mind. _Right. Because he deserves to be happy. I…shit. I didn’t need to come with him, though. Shit._

She apologizes to him in hollow tones. Sanji doesn’t seem to notice. He just offers her an accepting smile and climbs into their cubby, giving her an expectant look when she doesn’t climb in after him. She tells him she wants to get some fresh air first. He decides to go with her. Reiju clenches her jaw and lets him.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Another two days - almost a week now; Reiju wants to tear her hair out.

The way the other girls leer and whisper behind her back is infuriating. The way Mrs. Parves blows smoke in her face and calls her 'munchkin' and talks to her like she's a dumb little dog burns like an itch under her skin.

She’s absolutely  _not_ angry. She’s absolutely  _not_ stressed. She just really, _really_ wants to go back-

...Home.

Reiju stops and stares at the dirty dish in her hands. “Home,” she mumbles to herself. But was that place that she had ‘rescued’ her little brother from really a place that she could call home?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe she's starting to regret it now~~~ I'm not sure how I feel about this one but we'll see.


End file.
